Oy, I got beat to the punch. Anyways, there are a couple of DOT legal beadlocks these days...

 

You can have them attached to your current rims or you can buy them already done. Not all of them are"illegal"maybe they bend the law a bit but there are loophole everywhere. Not saying that makes it smart, it just is.

 

But the bead locks are useless if you plan using your truck as a daily driver also, right? I can't imagine they'd be any good on the highway

Actually, I'm a rookie anyway. My 7.5" lift kit just came in two days ago and me and my buddy are installing it on Friday. So I'm excited about this. We go mudding all the time, we just used my friends trucks. They've finally talked me into building mine into a mudder. Got the swampers and rock crawlers, now we just need to do the lift.......aaah, i can't wait til friday!!!

Tom

 

That's true, they are just money down the drain if you don't use them.

 

Also another reason to keep more air in the front

The front tires steer the truck and are submitted to alot more sideways pressure. The rear just follows, unless you do donuts.

 

Heaven forbid that new '04 Silverado down the block with his 6" IFS lift and 3" body lift with those pretty chrome nerf bars should get any tire noise! Mall krawlers need rubber too!!

 

Something I haven't seen addressed here is tire construction. Bias tires are different than radials. My big tires are bias, and I have run them in the low teens at nearly full height (and a wide, soft footprint) and gone anywhere. With my steel belts (my 33s) I can only go down reliably to 18 or so PSI and I start losing height. I seem to recall that there are sidewall construction differences also. The belted tires are a stiffer sidewall, and less pliable at low pressures than bias.

Something to look into. Anyway, with my big tires (37.5 inch) I run about 15 psi off road for anything. With my belted smaller tires, I typically only take them down to about 25 PSI unless I get myself into more than I can handle. Usually, I know before hand how ugly it might get, and make sure I put on the right wheels. If it's anything serious, I run the big tires and go about 20 PSI until I get there. Haven't popped a bead in the last 13 or 14 years.

 

Excellent point on the bias vs. radial sidewall characteristics.

 

What are the disadvantages to Bias ply? are they not good for normal highway use as a general everyday tire, on and off road? what type of top highway speeds are you restricted to with Bias Ply. If there aren't any disadvantages, my next set of tires should be bias, after I burn out these SSR Swampers.

Tom

 

One of the biggest complaints people have about bias tires is that they tend to get flat spots after sitting overnight. Sometimes it takes a few miles for them to get "round" again.

A bias tire also feels different driving down the road. The best way I can describe it is that they feel "wiggly". Some people either mistake that feeling for instability or they just don't like it. It took me a few hundred miles to get used to them, but IMO they aren't any better or any worse. Just different.

 

Generally, a larger bias tire is harder to balance, gets flat spots when sitting, and doesn't wear as well as its radial counterpart.

Its worth it for the extra toughness in my book, though.

 

Absolutely.


























We don nee no steenkin' radials.

 

Thanks guys.

I just installed the front portion of my 7.5" lift last night. wow, what a freaking job man. Took me 7 hours, and I still have to do the back yet tonight. The front is all out of alignment now, pretty badly. I have to drive it really slow today to the shop and have the front aligned. I can't believe how high 7.5" lift really is. I was not expecting it to be that high. I'm 6'2" and the the hood of the truck comes right up past my chest. I can definetely drop 35's or larger on there now. I'll post some pictures tomorrow once I finish the rear tonight after work.

I got the SSR Radials only because I've read so many great reviews about them. Also, I do an extreme amount of highway and daily driving with my truck. So, it's a multipurpose truck. I need it to be very drivable during the week (and still look cool) and be able to tackle the swamps on the weekend.

I guess I'm just a "part time red neck". mild mannered office dude by week, drunken gun slinging mudding hill billy by weekend. My friends laugh at me because of the transformation i go through between the week and the weekend.

Anyhoo, the SSR radials arent that great on the highway either. Anything over 60 and the truck vibrates and bounces all over the road and shakes like a crack addict. I might even go with one of super swampers more mild mannered tires after I blow through these. Sacrifice a little off road traction for better highway manners, just a little though.

Have a good friday everyone and I'll post the pictures of my re-born truck tomorrow.

Thanks,

Tom